Windows offers a lot more convenient ways to use your PC than is apparent to the casual user. Most individuals learn Windows just well enough to use it for their needs. They don’t explore the other features that are available with their Windows operating system. Our focus in this report is to enlighten you about other exciting features of Windows.
There is a security feature called User Account Control (UAC) that comes with Windows and, if you choose to, you can adjust the settings. You need to make sure the settings on this Control are correct so your computer doesn’t slow down. The goal, however, is to protect your computer when you log into the internet. For example, if you set the Control so it asks you for permission whenever you want to install or change something, you may become aggravated. It’s important, however, to have UAC turned on so you don’t risk downloading something risky onto your computer. If Windows 7 senses that a program is trying to make a change to your PC that you didn’t initiate, it will alert you. this is the default setting. Decide which level of security you can live with and adjust the settings accordingly.
One feature you should regularly run is the defragmentation tool. Many users don’t bother with this, either because they don’t know about it or it sounds too complicated. If you want to improve the performance of Windows, make it a regular habit to defrag your hard drive. Do you download or create a lot of files? Then it’s even more important to defrag. Defragmentation gives you more free space on your hard drive by realigning the files that have changed. The defrag tool is easy to find. Go to the Properties function, then Tools, for each hard drive and you will be able to select Defragmentation. Defragmentation doesn’t take long unless you have a lot of files on your hard drive that haven’t been defragged lately. You won’t even have to think about defragmenting your hard drive if you set up an automatic schedule for Windows to follow
If you get rid of programs on your computer that you have no need for, Windows will run a lot faster. Most computer folks buy new computers with all sorts of software and programs already on them that they don’t have any need for. Yet it’s still taking up memory on your computer, which slows everything down. If you don’t have a reason to keep a program on your hard drive, why not simply delete it? There are software applications listed on your start-up menu that open when you start your computer. You can make your computer run faster by disabling the programs that you don’t want to open this way. Don’t slow down your computer unnecessarily during start-up by loading a bunch of software apps you won’t be using. With Windows, you have simple commands that are easy to learn. However, there are so many more possibilities to explore and learn. Don’t forget Microsoft’s goal of making Windows user friendly. Even folks who have never owned a computer before have no trouble learning how to use their computer and the world wide web. The obvious next step after learning how to use the basic functions of Windows is to start adding more advanced techniques.